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Once you get to Gainesville and northward, it gets BETTER. The further north, the better it gets. Atleast for many of us natives. If you want something totally different Central FL and S FL are all yours...
There aren't any boundary lines but you can feel where the Deep South begins and ends...and sometimes its more complicated than North, Central or South Florida. If your driving North from Tampa you start to feel it around the Williston exit and you know your knee deep when you reach Lake City. But at the same time the Deep South is alive and well further South; Your in Dixie when your in places like Bartow, Plant City, Okeechobeee, and even South Florida's Everglades City.
There aren't any boundary lines but you can feel where the Deep South begins and ends...and sometimes its more complicated than North, Central or South Florida. If your driving North from Tampa you start to feel it around the Williston exit and you know your knee deep when you reach Lake City. But at the same time the Deep South is alive and well further South; Your in Dixie when your in places like Bartow, Plant City, Okeechobeee, and even South Florida's Everglades City.
You really are correct in saying this. It is hard for non natives to understand I would think. You will know when you experience it.....
Some of the communities in the Everglades/Okeechobee area are borderline indigenous. Clewiston comes to mind. Clewiston is to S FL as Astoria is to N Central FL. We used to take multi family boating trips down the St. Johns from Jacksonville to a little "boater's resort" type of thing near Welaka just north of Lake George. These were fun and we all had Grady Whites so we basically just overwhelmed the locals, haha, but we would go exploring. Well one year we decided to see how far down we could make it in our boats (our boats ranged from 20-32 ft...not very large). When we got to Astoria which was not very far down, just north of Orlando/Deland, all the locals came out from their shacks and mobile homes and walked out on their stick docks to observe us. It was creeeppppyyyyy, ew. We hightailed it out of there rather quickly.
IMO there is "refined" southern culture which is basically a southern version of northern high society culture (basically very minute differences, maybe a slightly southern accent here and there and grits instead of cream of wheat, etc) and then there is hardcore native crawled out of the swamp illiterate southern culture which is the southern version of rednecks from PA, NY, and IL.
I don't know about most of the 5+ generation native Floridian histories/what people on here are referring to as southern culture, but I consider myself a native and southern. However, my dad's mom is from Philly, his dad from Jacksonville but his grandfather is from Buffalo. My mom is from Chicago, and her parents from Sweden, but I can tell you I was raised with certain southern cultural elements. I love grits, but I was also raised with cream of wheat. I say ya'll with much higher frequency than say someone from Brooklyn. My neighborhood would have what some people mistakenly refer to as southern tendencies/elements (like columns on houses, a debutante coterie, social clubs that seem discriminatory, etc), but my neighborhood looks exactly and functions exactly like my mom's Chicago neighborhood and my dad's cousins' Philly and Boston neighborhoods.
The only differences between southern and northern culture are very ostensible, skin-deep, and trivial. There are food differences and speech pattern differences, but aside from that you will see larger differences between the educated/upper classes and the uneducated/lower classes.
The upper class southerners are near mirror images to the upper class northerners. There are probably more differences between uneducated southerners and uneducated northerners, but again superficial differences. Florida has the uneducated/unexposed everywhere. Sure there are tons of uneducated/unexposed "rednecks" in more northern parts of Florida, especially in rural areas, but I would argue that there are a ton of uneducated/unexposed people living in S FL and it comes across in a completely different way.
By the way that "indigenous" town I mentioned, Astoria, is named for William Waldorf Astor, the wealthy philanthropist from New York. He sponsored an expodition to study the area. What's interesting is when explorers arrived in present day Astoria, they found wild royal palms. Speaking of Astor, he was one of the original founders of the Florida Yacht Club in Jacksonville. The present 1928 Mediterranean clubhouse has an "Astor Room". Southern culture in FL is not as deep anywhere as say in Mississippi or South Carolina, but I would argue if you are rural/uneducated/redneck southern in FL you are actually probably more extreme than a redneck from GA (surprisingly yes, but rednecks in FL are serious business). If you are a native, you probably can only go back 3-4 generations.
There aren't any boundary lines but you can feel where the Deep South begins and ends...and sometimes its more complicated than North, Central or South Florida. If your driving North from Tampa you start to feel it around the Williston exit and you know your knee deep when you reach Lake City. But at the same time the Deep South is alive and well further South; Your in Dixie when your in places like Bartow, Plant City, Okeechobeee, and even South Florida's Everglades City.
I have to agree with this. Most of Florida two or so dozen miles inland from any coast will start to have "Southern" characteristics. Look at Tampa and Plant City. They're in the same county, but one is way more Southern than the other.
amazing how many emotions this thread has brought to the surface. Live and let live that's what I say. I can see why some 'progressives' dislike the religious types though since they tend to try to push their religious values on people rather then just letting people be as they are. With that said, I'm an honest person and dislike people who pay games, lie, and manipulate others, and I'm not much of a party animal in a big friends clubhouse sort of sense.
Being mostly a loner, I can fit in pretty much anywhere as I don't need to make friends and don't really worry about what people think of me. I should give both areas a try to see what all the fuss is about, when I finally leave where I'm at now and start anew.
[quote=jsimms3;16576677]The only differences between southern and northern culture are very ostensible, skin-deep, and trivial./QUOTE]
The only differences between southern and northern culture are very ostensible, skin-deep, and trivial.
Southern Americans are an entirely different species when compared to their Northern counterparts. It would be almost impossible to list or fully explain all the differences. The differences are as timeless as they are manifold. You might say it all goes back to our celtic heritage; the rural European heritage of the South and its progenitors clashes with the industrial heritage of Northern immigrants. And like the celts, Southerners have a closer kinship to the land, driven by lifestyle and environment and are less driven by the accumulation of wealth. Tradition, loyalty, the land, God, family, friends and community come before money when it comes to most Southerners. Also, the close relationship with African Americans who were sold to the South by Northern industrialist who could not benefit from their labors contributed greatly to the Southern culture. Southerners have their closest kin in African Americans who developed their culture more predominately in the South than in the North. Most people in the South were raised not to talk down to others, especially those seen as economically or educationally inferior by others. Manners in the South go beyond anything you could learn from Emily Post because they are ingrained in us from an early age and likely run in the blood. Although we aren't perfect most of us strive daily to abide by the Golden Rule and that transcends any economic or racial boundary lines. We mind our own business but we truly love each other and help is usually there before we even ask for it. We are a defeated people who lost more than any other Americans about 150 years ago, had our land and homes invaded, burned and property taken and sons and fathers killed. We went from being the wealthiest region in the world to the poorest and only recently regained our economic stability. Only 6% of the South owned slaves so it goes without saying that slavery was not the only or principle reason for succession. Mixing the South and North is like mixing oil and water and this thread, just as the state of Florida is living proof. The Southern Culture is the birth child of Southerners, a different animal with a different appetite, different likes, dislikes, different loyalties and a different genealogy. The differences go far beyond anything "..skin-deep" or "..trivial".
The only differences between southern and northern culture are very ostensible, skin-deep, and trivial./QUOTE]
The only differences between southern and northern culture are very ostensible, skin-deep, and trivial.
Southern Americans are an entirely different species when compared to their Northern counterparts. It would be almost impossible to list or fully explain all the differences. The differences are as timeless as they are manifold. You might say it all goes back to our celtic heritage; the rural European heritage of the South and its progenitors clashes with the industrial heritage of Northern immigrants. And like the celts, Southerners have a closer kinship to the land, driven by lifestyle and environment and are less driven by the accumulation of wealth. Tradition, loyalty, the land, God, family, friends and community come before money when it comes to most Southerners. Also, the close relationship with African Americans who were sold to the South by Northern industrialist who could not benefit from their labors contributed greatly to the Southern culture. Southerners have their closest kin in African Americans who developed their culture more predominately in the South than in the North. Most people in the South were raised not to talk down to others, especially those seen as economically or educationally inferior by others. Manners in the South go beyond anything you could learn from Emily Post because they are ingrained in us from an early age and likely run in the blood. Although we aren't perfect most of us strive daily to abide by the Golden Rule and that transcends any economic or racial boundary lines. We mind our own business but we truly love each other and help is usually there before we even ask for it. We are a defeated people who lost more than any other Americans about 150 years ago, had our land and homes invaded, burned and property taken and sons and fathers killed. We went from being the wealthiest region in the world to the poorest and only recently regained our economic stability. Only 6% of the South owned slaves so it goes without saying that slavery was not the only or principle reason for succession. Mixing the South and North is like mixing oil and water and this thread, just as the state of Florida is living proof. The Southern Culture is the birth child of Southerners, a different animal with a different appetite, different likes, dislikes, different loyalties and a different genealogy. The differences go far beyond anything "..skin-deep" or "..trivial".
I'm sorry. This post is ludicrous. Please stop talking about African-Americans as if they're not Southerners. As far as I'm concerned, they're the only true Southerners left in Florida.
The only point I agree with is African American culture really being formed in the South. However, Southern whites should not take credit or pride themselves in any of this, as much of this culture came out of oppression and segregation that took place in the South that should NOT be celebrated.
The only person who would conclude that Northerners and Southerners have little in common is someone who has never left the country. It only takes one trip overseas to see how similar Americans are relative to folks from other cultures.
Florida is no longer Southern and should not be talked about as if it is. You have to cross the line in to Georgia to get into the South again.
I have to agree with this. Most of Florida two or so dozen miles inland from any coast will start to have "Southern" characteristics. Look at Tampa and Plant City. They're in the same county, but one is way more Southern than the other.
Thank you and your right because I've eatin at Snellgrove's in Plant City and their tea is as thick as cane syrup...and their chicken and dumplins are real good too. I've driven into Plant City coming from Tampa through Seffner and it is amazing how it all transforms...you start to see the Confederate flags and not only strawberry fields but cotton fields. They still talk Southern there and wave when you pass on a country road.
I'm sorry. This post is ludicrous. Please stop talking about African-Americans as if they're not Southerners. As far as I'm concerned, they're the only true Southerners left in Florida.
The only point I agree with is African American culture really being formed in the South. However, Southern whites should not take credit or pride themselves in any of this, as much of this culture came out of oppression and segregation that took place in the South that should NOT be celebrated.
The only person who would conclude that Northerners and Southerners have little in common is someone who has never left the country. It only takes one trip overseas to see how similar Americans are relative to folks from other cultures.
Florida is no longer Southern and should not be talked about as if it is. You have to cross the line in to Georgia to get into the South again.
You obviously didn't read anything I wrote. I never said African Americans were not Southerners..I said they were just as responsible for forming the Southern culture as Europeans coming to the South. Florida still is the South, always will be no matter how many yankees come down and try to revise our history and culture. Read before you respond and don't tell me what to do...we don't give a damn how you did it up North.
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